Korver bemoans loss of Rose but maintains positive outlook

CHICAGO (MCT) — Not even a telescope could help most Bulls fans find a silver lining to Derrick Rose’s knee injury.

But Kyle Korver’s faith assures him there is one.

“My grandpa has a saying: ‘God does his best work in life’s graveyards,’” Korver said Monday after practice. “When things are tough, that’s when a lot of good can happen in life. Hopefully something good can come out of this for Derrick, our team and the city of Chicago.”

The Bulls shooting guard put his positive spirit on display within hours of Rose’s fall. Younger brother Klayton inspired him to post a 258-word statement on his Facebook page.

“It seemed like everyone was really down — and for good reason,” Korver said. “Obviously we care about Derrick a lot more than that he was going to help us win a championship. But we have more games to play. And when you have the right perspective in life, it changes everything. So I had some thoughts.”

He began: “Right about now, the disbelief has faded, anger has subsided and we’re all wondering ... why? Why. Why. Why Derrick, again? Derrick is more than an MVP to our team. He’s our friend, our brother (and) he inspires us to be the very best we can be.”

Korver then addressed this to Bulls fans: “We need YOU to believe with Us. We need You to believe for Us. We are going to keep going strong. One quarter, one game, one round at a time.”

Said Korver: “We need them now more than ever, that positive energy.”

Korver played an excellent Game 1 against Philadelphia, scoring 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting and snagging four rebounds.

Korver, Richard Hamilton and Rose replacements C.J. Watson and John Lucas III might all have to compensate for losing Rose’s near 22 points per game this season.

But Korver, who sat out Monday’s practice to rest a minor injury or two, said: “It’s the natural human tendency to think: I’m going to make this happen. We have to fight that. If anything, we have to play more as a team. We’re used to Derrick taking big shots at the end of the game, but if we’re going to win this, it will be because we played the best team basketball.”

If the Bulls do that, Korver believes this season can have a happy ending.

“I don’t know one good sports movie where the (No.) 1 seed just got to cruise to the championship,” he said. “I read a really good book a couple of months ago (Donald Miller’s “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years”) about the whole concept of story.

“Most of us go through life trying to live the easiest, most comfortable life possible. If you look at that, you say, ‘It’s not a story you want to read.’ We have a good story here. It will be harder, and we have to pull together tighter and play a little better, but we can.”